


Magical Girl Moon

by Neon_Sleep



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: F/M, GladionxMoon, Harry Potter AU, Lonashipping, MoonEdge, Snowlilly shipping, Spot the meme, but very lightly, kind of, mahinashipping, moon's her own kind of Magical Girl TM, no one's around to help, the gang's all here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-04-07 14:16:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19086745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neon_Sleep/pseuds/Neon_Sleep
Summary: Very loosely-based Harry Potter AU. Moon goes off to Alola Academy with Pokémon and a wand in hand. Mystery ensues, something-something "why is it when something happens, it's always you four?"





	1. It’S nOt a PhAsE mOm

Today is the day.

Moon checked her appearance in her full-length mirror one last time. Her black velvety school robes swished around her legs as she half-turned, then stood straight forward once again, checking her uniform for any stray white hairs left by her Mom’s pet meowth.

Moon read they were allowed _a lot_ of leeway at Alola Academy to personalize their uniform and show their own style. The dress code was as relaxed and free spirited as the islanders who wrote it. Moon accessorized her black robes and white dress shirt with red and black sneakers and her signature red beanie with a pom-pom at the very top. The Alolan Academy uniform wasn’t available anywhere other than the school itself, so really all she had done was add some color to her school uniform from Kanto. Still, she had been told to pack at least two weeks’ worth of her own clothes, which she had already taken care of and shipped so that her luggage would be there when she arrived.  
Moon grabbed her hairbrush from where it sat on her desk and began to brush the ends of her hair for the third time that morning, nervously imagining all the things that could go wrong on her first day as a transfer student.

Transferring in the fourth year meant it would be even more difficult to make friends because in her experience, most of the cliques have already been sorted out. _Sorting_ , not to mention, was another worry on Moon’s mind, and one she tried very hard to pretend didn’t bother her. Out of the four Houses that exist within Alola Academy, Moon wasn’t sure which she wanted to chose her, since it didn’t seem like she would be given a choice. Each of the Tapu guardians had their own legends and rumors that gave them reason to be both feared and revered. Tapu Fini could release a fog that made enemies self-destructive, and Tapu Lele was rumored to drop harmful amounts of its scales onto victims simply for its own amusement. Tapu Koko is fickle and known for its explosive temper; Tapu Bulu was known for the time it supposedly fought off bandits by swinging around tree branches like clubs, leaving them all within an inch of their lives. The thought of even meeting any of the island guardians in person truly intimidated Moon, so she couldn’t really handle wondering which would be the one to choose her.

Rowlet watched from its comfortable spot on the bed, nestled in warm blankets, as its trainer paced around the room, practically tugging her hair. The room was filled with so much nervous energy that the small bird Pokémon could no longer sleep comfortably, so it decided to launch itself right at the source.

“Mmph!” Moon flinched back as her face was suddenly bombarded with feathers. “Oh, I’m sorry bud. I let my first day jitters get the best of me there, didn’t I?” Moon cooed as she cradled the small owl close to her chest. Rowlet shook its entire body to jolt every feather back into place, prompting Moon to set it down so it could preen and she could get back to preparing for the trials ahead.

“Moon? I know you’re nervous but if you don’t leave within the next five minutes, you’ll be late for sure. That’s not the kind of first day impression you want to make, you know?” Moon’s mother shouted from the other side of the bedroom door.

“I know Mom, I’m just about ready!”

Moon opened her red messenger bag to examine its contents one last time. Cell Phone? Check. The case was heavy plastic (Moon was known to be very clumsy) and was covered in stickers of poison-type Pokémon. Wand? Double check. The cherry brown thin piece of wood had her name carved into the base in tiny stylized letters. She didn’t use it very often outside of a few classes at her school in Kanto, but she didn’t let it out of her sight regardless. Pokéballs? Triple check. She only had two so far, but quality over quantity, right?  
Realizing that was all the items on her checklist, Moon let out a satisfied hum. So far, she was on a roll today. _If only I could be this organized every time I left the house_ , Moon thought as she recalled her Rowlet into its ball before putting it back in her bag. Just as Moon was stepping out and closing the door behind her, she took in the cozy sight of her still somewhat-new room and mentally prepared herself to leave it for an entire semester. “My phone charger!” Moon gasped as she sprinted to her nightstand and unplugged the adapter from the wall. Moon hoped she wasn’t forgetting anything else, now that her earlier confidence in her packing skills had taken a double-kick to the face.

Moon walked downstairs and into the kitchen where her mom was waiting for her with Moon’s forgotten pair of sunglasses in her hands. “Are you sure you don’t want breakfast dear? I’m positive you’d feel less forgetful if you did.”

Moon sighed. “No Mom, its too early to even be thinking about food. The sun isn’t even fully awake yet, so why do I have to be?” Moon groaned while looking out the window at the yellow-gray skies of the early morning.

“You know that in Alola school starts at a brisk 7 A.M. Moon. Not the 8 A.M. you got used to in Kanto. You’ll just have to learn to embrace the daylight like a true islander. Maybe you’ll even come to like waking up early. Who knows?”

“I don’t think that’s how it works Mom, and its only 5:30 in the morning. All I’m saying is it sucks that I have to be there an hour before everyone else just because some mystical guardians need to decide who wants to deal with me.” Moon rolled her eyes as she tentatively put her hand on the doorknob to leave and grabbed her broomstick from its convenient spot against the doorframe.

“With that kind of attitude, none of them will pick you and you’ll end up a hermit on Mt. Coronet!” Moon’s mother yelled jokingly as Moon skipped out the door with a laugh and a wave goodbye, hopping onto her broom a little crookedly and nearly falling off it before making a “graceful” recovery and zooming off in the direction of Alola Academy.


	2. You Have Arrived

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of world-building and a familiar face.

“Alola Academy here we come, huh pal?” Moon said in the direction of Rowlet in her bag, knowing he could still hear her from inside the pokéball. Her special link to the flying Pokémon was what allowed her to fly around on a broomstick, something not every trainer was capable of. Pokémon and their trainers tended to form a special bond that extended past battling and contests. A sort of link that could only be fully explained as magic. The link allows trainers to do things beyond normal human limitations, usually (though no always) through conduits such as wands, or Moon’s broomstick. Being able to fly wasn’t totally uncommon, but it did require a Pokémon with wings and a lack of a fear of heights.

Just as Moon was starting to think that she could fly on forever as long as the cool ocean breeze was ruffling her hair and spraying her face, a giant white building came up on the horizon.

Alola Academy was just as huge and bright as Moon had seen in pictures back in Kanto. She raised her hand over her forehead in a fruitless attempt to block out light as she tried to make out the details of the expansive Academy grounds. From far away the Academy looked as if it was made up of all white pillars and glass, but as Moon flew closer she could see the school’s glass windows were really made of beautifully stained glass that casted colorful shadows everywhere the light touched. The grassy campus grounds were covered in different flowers, berry trees and other island plant life. The main campus building stood four stories high, but Moon could tell each story was built higher than most buildings’ blueprints allow for, probably to accommodate the Pokémon more so than their trainers.

Moon landed on the soft green grass at the entrance of the Academy and tucked her broom handle into a special strap she’d sewn into the side of her messenger bag. The elastic band effectively held the broom in place so she had both hands free to explore and complete her first objective: finding the front desk.

Hitting the end of the stone walkway that led up to the building, Moon pulled open the large wooden door in front of her and found it surprisingly lightweight. The room inside was large and decidedly fancier than any restaurant or hotel she had seen before. Polished wooden floors and high ceilings combined with the openness of the room meant that even Moon’s rubber soled sneakers made the tiniest echo as she cautiously padded her way to the front desk. She looked in wonderment at the small, quiet waterfall decorating the side of the room, surrounded by thriving plant life and mossy rocks that made the entire setup look like a life-sized zen garden.

There was a very professional looking blonde woman tapping away on a computer at a large brown desk at the back of he room. She wore a grey vest and red scarf and had her hair in a fancy updo Moon was sure would take her five tries minimum to nail on her own hair. The woman paused and looked up to Moon with a friendly smile.

“Hello there, what can I help you with today?”

Moon bounced on her toes with nervous energy now that she wasn’t being distracted by the scenery. She meant to just ask for the Headmaster but ended up spitting out all her information at the poor woman without even pausing to take a breath. “Um, Alola! My name is Moon and today is my first day and I just moved here from Kanto and I was supposed to come in an hour early to meet with the Headmaster and get sorted into a house since I haven’t done that yet and then I need to find my luggage and unpack and…” Moon gasped a bit realizing she had run out of air and glanced away, self-aware enough to know that she was probably getting way ahead of herself. She sheepishly looked back to the receptionist who was listening attentively to Moons rambles with a warm smile on her face.

“Sorry, first day jitters, I guess.” Moon admitted with a faint blush and reached her hand up to rub the back of her neck.

“No worries! We’ve all been in your shoes before. I’ll let the Headmaster know you’re here, in the meantime why don’t you go have a sea-“

“COUSIN!!”

Moon jumped back an entire foot, but not before knocking over a pencil cup on the desk with her flailing arms. The booming voice echoed in the vast open space and made her heart beat twice as hard as normal. She scrambled to pick up the pencils and looked around the room for the source of her fright when she turned her head just enough to the left and saw a guy dressed only in shorts, a lab coat and a hat walking towards her with his arms spread in a welcoming gesture and a huge grin on his face.

“Professor Kukui!” Moon felt a relieved smile cross her face; this was not a stranger, Kukui was a family friend, and someone she had known since she was little.

“I see you made it to the Academy safe and sound, on a broomstick no less!” The Professor finished crossing the room to wrap his arm around Moon in a bear hug that lifted her off the ground. Feeling squished, she managed to mutter out “Yup, I’m here” but her response still came out muffled due to excess lab coat fabric covering her face. Kukui set her down, took a step back and firmly planted his hands on Moon’s shoulders, trying to gauge her courage with fierce eye contact.

“Moon. Are you ready to meet your guardian?”

She swallowed nervously and forced a smile that was all teeth and didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Yes?” she squeaked out, embarrassed at her own nerves and her inability to confidently lie. All she really had to do was stand on a dumb island between some dumb pillars and wait for a _legendary_ Pokémon to come bestow her with a dumb shiny rock. She just had to stand in one spot for a couple minutes; it was so simple, a mankey could do it. Yet she still felt like a rock was sitting in her gut, an ominous feeling she couldn’t seem to figure out.

Professor Kukui stood up straight and let out a carefree laugh that settled Moon's nerves just a smidge.

“Your mother told me over the phone that you started the day off a bit tense, but there’s nothing to worry about, yeah?”

The professor placed his hand over Moon’s red hat and gave it a few quick shakes, effectively ruffling her hair. She laughed and reached up to right herself the moment he let up and they both started walking towards the direction Kukui entered from.

“Right, nothing to worry about. Thanks Professor.”

“Anytime Moon. And its _Headmaster_ Kukui now, you know?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Were almost at the Sorting. I've lined up Hogwarts houses with Tapu guardians, so the houses are a lil harry potter and a lil Alola based. Also I swear Gladion and the gang are coming, I know that's what I'm excited for. The scooby gang should be fully introduced within the next two-ish chapters. However I will definitely be distracted by the Pokemon Direct, I need to see Galar legendaries and I need to see them like, yesterday. Anyway, see you next time.


	3. Four-Chair Turn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sorting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was a pretty long chapter (for me to write, anyway) and I proofread it, but if anyone finds any errors or just has constructive criticism, please lay it on me. If I'm gunna commit to writing this thing (which apparently I am) then I may as well try to make it good, right?

It’s 6:00 in the morning and Alola Academy is eerily silent. Moon and Kukui pass through many light-filled, rainbow colored hallways, many of them completely open to the outside world without any doors to stop the two on their path. The walls just end and then suddenly they’re walking on a stone path with grass all around them; just a couple hundred feet away lie the sandy beaches that outline the campus grounds.

“So as you know, the Trial site is what Alola Academy was built around, and you are the last student of this semester to be placed into a House.”

“I like to call it fashionably late.” Moon said with a smirk but was immediately distracted by a passing room that seemed to be filled with… _Were those crepe griddles?_

“ _Anyway_ , I wanted to remind you that once your guardian has chosen you, we can finally get you moved in and meeting people in your House. You’re at a bit of a disadvantage transferring in the fourth year since all of our students already know each other, but I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve, yeah?” Kukui said with his hand up on the side of his mouth, leaning conspiratorially towards Moon with a sneaky grin on his face.

And suddenly, Moon’s smugness turned into mild concern as she desperately hoped Kukui didn’t have any embarrassing plans to “help” her make friends on her first day. “Professor, you aren’t going to force anyone to be my friend, are you? Because I don’t want pity friends. I know I can be a bit slow to warm up to people, but I’ve always had my Pokémon by my side.”

“That’s a positive way of thinking Moon! The bond shared between people and Pokémon is a special one and I’m glad to hear you take it so seriously. But no, I am not forcing any friends on you. I simply have some kids in mind that are very eager to meet the exotic Kanto transfer student.” Kukui ended his statement with a snicker and Moon was both flattered and exasperated. She could feel her cheeks getting warm so she rolled her eyes and looked away, only to notice another room they were passing that was… _filled with ditto?_ Someone, she didn’t get a good look at who, was in the room feeding them pokébeans, and Moon tripped over her own feet in shock.

“Professor were those all ditto?” Moon stopped, already turning back to get a better look when Kukui grabbed her shoulders and gently steered her back in the right direction. “Come on kid, we’re almost there.”

A couple hallways later they somehow ended up back outside, but instead of ocean, the sandy beach next to this section of the school had a straight path leading to a dense forest on another island up ahead. Moon let out a quiet “woah” as she looked to the darkness in front of her and felt goosebumps rise on her skin, despite it feeling pretty warm outside already. The size of the Trial site’s island was smaller than the one the Academy sat on, yet managed to feel a lot more intimidating.

“Well Moon, this is the first step to becoming a true student here. As you know, you have to go it alone from here, but you are allowed to keep your bag on you with your Pokémon inside it. This passage leads between Tapu Bulu and Tapu Fini’s chosen environments, and on the other side you’ll find Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele’s regions. They all look a bit different from each other, but all you have to do is stand on the platform and wait, yeah? Oh, and I’ll take your broom for safekeeping until you get back.”

Moon looked on from the her spot in the sand and tried to swallow but found her mouth had gotten dry as her nerves had returned. She simply nodded and brought her hand up to the strap of her messenger bag, holding onto it like a lifeline, while her other hand pulled her broomstick out of its side pocket and passed it over to the professor. Kukui, noticing her lack of a real response, slapped a hand on her back in both a reassuring gesture and a bit of a push forward, and Moon startled out of her deerling in the headlights moment.

“You’ll be alright Moon! Now go on, so we can get you moved in! I have my predictions about who will chose you, so go give it your all!”

“R-right!” Moon steeled herself and took another step forward on the sandy path. “I’ve got this”, she thought to herself, “it can’t be any scarier than how I met my second Pokémon partner”. That memory reminded her that she was never truthfully alone as long as her Pokémon were with her and motivated Moon to pick up the pace until she finally reached the end of the path that led through the ocean and the sand slowly turned into grass as she entered the shady forest.

To her left were tall skinny trees with near-black colored leaves and large moss-covered rocks, the entire section covered in mist. Moon could hear what sounded like a stream flowing in the area, but couldn’t it make out through all the fog. Her left side was all cold from walking by what she assumed was Tapu Fini’s environment, and she kept seeing shadows running through it. She figured those must’ve been her imagination, because as far as Moon knew the Trial site was always cleared before a sorting to prevent any conflict with the guardians, since all four of them tended to be very territorial. Weirdly enough, to her right all Moon felt was humidity. The right side of the forest was just as dense and dark as the left, yet the trees were much thicker and greener. Moon remembered Professor Kukui saying that this was Tapu Bulu’s side, just as she heard what sounded like a small tree slowly falling over and decided maybe she should walk _just_ a bit faster to the designated platform.

A clearing appeared up ahead, and directly in the middle was the circular stone platform that Moon knew she was supposed to stand in the middle of to summon her guardian. Not feeling _exactly_ ready to face a legendary head on yet, Moon knew she was stalling as she moved around to inspect the details of the Trial site. She would only get to see it once after all, might as well take in the sights and history, right?

Four tall stone statues stood on each corner of the circle, each with a different word engraved on them representing the area of the respective Tapu. The ones pointing in the directions Moon came from had “Hope” written on Tapu Fini’s statue and “Abundance” written on Tapu Bulu’s. Moon eventually turned around, deciding to stop wimping out (at least a little bit) and check out the rest of the site. She was easily able to tell which side belonged to who, since the one directly next to Tapu Fini was half-forest half-meadow and littered with the glittering iridescent scales that belonged to Tapu Lele. It was the sunniest of the four areas, and Moon turned to see that the corresponding statue was engraved with the word “Life”.

The last environment was separated from the others by a small, yet still deep enough to be dangerous, stone chasm and was connected to the clearing with the platform by a decrepit looking rope bridge. A strange buzzing feeling washed over Moon’s skin as she stepped backwards on the platform while looking at what could only be Tapu Koko’s chosen environment. She looked and saw the word “Conflict” engraved on the stone, and a shiver ran up her spine.

 _Let’s get this over with._ Moon took another step back to stand directly in the middle of the stone and all noise in the forest came to a halt. Leaves no longer rustled, the stream could no longer be heard, and the absence of all sound made it seem as though the entire site had been sucked into a vacuum. Moon felt her eyes go wide, no one had prepared her for the creepy silence she’d been dropped into. She looked around, slowly turning in a circle when the mist from Tapu Fini’s area began to cover the entire Trial site. _This is it_ , she thought, hearing a Pokémon cry in the distance. _Tapu Fini must’ve been the guardian to choose me._

Two neon blue orbs glowed through the mist like tiny flashlights and Moon took a step back as she made eye contact, feeling a sensation akin to someone throwing an ice cube down the back of her shirt. The Tapu’s large purple shell started to take form in the mist and the guardian cautiously floated up to the edge of the stone Moon was standing on. Moon gasped at how close the legendary had gotten and realized from her own reaction that it had gotten so cold she could now see her own breath. “You’re like a mermaid…” She trailed off, one hand lifted in the air between them, not really wanting to get any closer yet still wanting to touch the silky, shining blue waves that rippled off the guardian’s head like moving water. Tapu Fini simply cocked its head to one side, staring at Moon as if to ask a question, but they didn’t get time to complete their non-verbal conversation when a loud crack made them both jump. The noise may as well have been a gunshot with the forest still in its state of uncanny quiet, and Moon almost didn’t have enough time to dodge by the time she realized the noise had come from a tall tree falling between her and the guardian.

Moon yelped and scrambled to get behind one of the stone pillars while the tree quickly lowered to the ground; the mist dispersed, and she took a step around the corner of what seemed to be Tapu Koko’s statue, and saw Tapu Fini had flown higher into the air and was looking around frantically. Moon started to do the same, glancing back down at the tree, the branches falling just short of the platform. _This can’t be the way a sorting usually goes._

Another cry sounded from in the forest, and as much as she squinted Moon couldn’t make out where it was coming from when, without warning, Tapu Fini was tackled into the forest with enough force to topple three more trees.

A black and red Pokémon around the same size as Tapu Fini glided backwards through the air from the crash site, stopped a good 10 feet over the center of the stone platform and raised its arms as it led out a raucous roar. Moon stared up in awe, seeing a golden bell on its tail and black horns reaching up over the Pokémon’s head. _Wait, is that… Tapu Bulu?_ Her face scrunched in thought. _Why would two guardians show up at the same time?_

The gears started to turn in Moon’s mind- _was it possible to be chosen by two guardians?_ – and when her gaze focused back on them, Tapu Fini was surrounded by a ring of rushing water that hastily bunched in a sphere in front of the guardian’s chest and shot out at Tapu Bulu in what Moon guessed must’ve been the move water pulse. Tapu Bulu was pushed back a couple inches in the air but otherwise seemed unfazed, whereas Moon on the ground learned the hard way that she was still in the splash zone. Water rebounded off the legendary Pokémon’s armor, drenching the poor girl from her fuzzy red hat down to the bottom of the old school robes she was still dressed in. Garbling and swiping her arms over her face, Moon tripped back, stumbling until she landed on the rope bridge in Tapu Koko’s region with a frightening crack. She looked up with now-clear eyes and saw that the plank of the bridge she was sitting on now had a large crack in the wood, surrounded by many smaller, just as worrisome cracks. “Oh my gosh, I broke the ancient trial site bridge”, Moon whispered as she felt her heart rate speed up with guilt. Then in a louder whisper, “Oh my gosh, I’m going to fall through the bridge and break _myself_ ” Moon began to panic, lost in her own worry while up ahead, the Tapu’s were still engaged in their fight. Tapu Bulu rammed into Tapu Fini horns-first and a bright green light was sucked away, successfully pulling energy from the water-type guardian who let out a cry, and then hurriedly scampered away through the air back into the mists of its own environment.

Moon carefully, oh so carefully reached out with her right hand up to the rope railing of the bridge and whimpered as she heard the boards all creak underneath her. The rope was just out of reach, so Moon lifted herself up as slowly as she could humanly manage when the bridge gave out underneath her, and she let out a piercing scream as she fell halfway down the small-scale ravine that was probably around 10 feet deep. Moon had enough time as she fell to briefly regret not bringing her broomstick with her and to hope her Pokémon wouldn’t be hurt, when suddenly a yellow-orange blur pushed her through the air, knocking all the wind out of her lungs and swooping her back up onto solid ground on the side of the bridge she stumbled from. She was dropped onto her hands and knees and waited on the ground, gasping for air and thanking Arceus nothing felt broken.

Thunder filled the skies, and the Trial site fell into darkness in a matter of seconds. Moon looked up and discovered storm clouds had gathered overhead, yet there was no rain accompanying them. Instead she jumped to her feet in literal shock when lightning struck not even three paces to her left, the electricity motivating her to run to the only area she hadn’t been yet, Tapu Lele’s meadow. As she ran she looked to her side where more lightning struck, and almost tripped over her feet (again) when she saw Tapu Koko right at the center of it. ”Three guardians?!” Moon shouted in exasperation as she ducked behind one of the larger boulders that sat in the grassy environment Tapu Lele had chosen and furiously hoped she was far enough away from the fight this time to stay out of danger, _especially_ now that lightning was a factor.

Once again paying attention to the fight, she watched as Tapu Bulu met the lightning strikes head on, seemingly taking no damage from them. “That’s right, grass is resistant to electric-type moves” Moon thought out loud with a bit of awe on her voice at the sheer power displayed by the legendary Pokémon, their auras so fired up she could still feel energy buzzing in her ears and on her skin from where she hid behind the boulder.

The lightning clearly wasn’t working, and a large tree was uprooted and crashed through the air in sync with Tapu Bulu’s right arm, aimed right at Tapu Koko. The electric-type guardian was sent spiraling through the air and into the storm clouds above the site. Moon held her breath as she waited, and the clouds started slowly thinning and separating. Tapu Bulu let out another roar in victory and began to lower down to the ground, turning its head to find the new student when thunder clapped through the air once more and both Moon and the Tapu looked up to the gray skies in confusion.

Almost too fast to see, Tapu Koko nosedived toward the broken bridge in its own quadrant, then pulled up at the last possible moment and shot itself at Tapu Bulu. Having picked up so much speed, Tapu Koko’s yellow outer shell looked as if it had burst into flames. Tapu Bulu was hit with so much force it crashed through it’s own region and knocked over countless trees on the way down; a small ditch created where the guardian collided with the dirt.

“That was d-definitely brave bird.” Moon walked out from her hiding place with her mouth agape, her hands shaking after witnessing so much damage, and a little from not having dried yet after getting hit with the aftermath of a water pulse. Tapu Koko, who until now had been staring towards where Tapu Bulu landed with a puffed chest, watched the other guardian slowly rise and float away, clearly acknowledging the loss and needing time to heal.

With the fight finally over, Tapu Koko flew up and onto the edge of the stone platform and closed its shell around itself. _He’s withdrawing… That move must’ve taken a lot of energy, even for a legendary Pokémon._ Moon took a few steps closer, feeling bold now that she couldn’t see the guardians face. She reached the platform and stepped into the middle, leaning forward a bit to study the intricate designs that covered the Tapu’s shell. The guardian abruptly opened its arms and glided up towards her, “Aah!” Moon screamed and took two quick steps back. Clear blue eyes with a yellow stripe painted through them stared into Moon’s dark gray ones, and she felt as if the legendary Pokémon was looking straight through her, into her soul. She shivered and blinked, and when she reopened her eyes the Tapu seemed to have found what it was looking for and held out one of its claws. Moon watched with very wide eyes as a shiny black rock materialized in the air right in front of it. It floated there in mid-air while she stood frozen, still recovering from everything that had happened in the past 10 minutes, when Tapu Koko gave a bit of a screech and nudged the rock in her direction.

“OH, me?” Moon yelped as she reached out with still shaking hands and snatched the rock out of the air. She took another step back with it clutched to her chest and the guardian nodded and quickly glided away, presumably from the direction it came.

All sound returned to the forest -leaves rustled in the wind and the far-off stream could be heard once again- and the skies were totally clear of any sign of a storm. Moon let out a sigh of relief and promptly collapsed to the ground, legs askew and one hand propping her up on the stone while the other covered her messenger bag protectively. _Did all of that really just happen?_

“Moon!”

She sluggishly turned her head to the right, the sight of Professor Kukui running towards her a little surreal after all she had just been through.

“Moon, are you alright? Are you hurt?” The professor knelt in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders, looking over her for any signs of bruises or cuts.

She felt her mouth move in slow motion, “No, I think I’m fine.” She held up her rock gift, hoping Kukui would know what to do with it, because she sure didn’t.

“What happened? I saw lightning and heard crashes but didn’t want to run in and ruin your sorting or scare away your guardian from choosing you.” Kukui took the rock and stood up, reaching a hand down to Moon and then proceeded to help her stand as well. She relayed the entire event.

“I’m still wet.” Moon looked miserably down at her water-logged robes, the velvet wouldn’t be completely dry anytime soon.

“Moon, you could’ve been seriously hurt, or even died.” Kukui’s face was pale as he looked down at her with concern, clearly stuck on the part where she told him about her fall.

“Oh. Right.” Moon uttered, her voice tiny as she thought back to what happened on the bridge. A wave of nausea hit her at the too-vivid memory, and the sensation of free-falling washed over her, causing her knees to wobble while she swayed on her feet.

“Woah there!” Professor Kukui reached out to steady her. “Let’s go have a seat in my office, yeah? There are a couple things we need to discuss.” He reached an arm around her shoulder to keep her stable and the pair walked back down the path and towards the Academy, neither of them noticing the pink hair peeking out from behind a large rock in the northwestern region, or the curious guardian it belonged to.

* * *

 

Gladion stopped in his tracks on the beach, right up against the wall of the school. In the distance he could see dark clouds form over the Trial site. Thunder clapped and lightning cracked, Gladion squinted his eyes looking for a source. “Is it an ultra beast?” He turned to the Pokémon beside him, but Type: Null just sat with a grunt, non-verbally answering his question. “Then what…?”

As quickly as they had formed, the clouds began to disappear, and Gladion frowned. “It had to have been the Tapu’s then, did something anger them?” He wondered aloud, knowing Type: Null didn’t have the answer this time.

“C’mon Null, lets finish patrol before class starts.” He gave Type: Null’s helmet a solid pat, and the two turned a corner and continued their morning routine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gladion and Null join the party! Pokemon battles sure take a bit of research to write. I had a lot of fun though.


	4. We Will Watch Your Career With Great Interest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kukui doesn't have all the answers and Lillie gets aNgEry.

“Moon, I’m going to tell you something you may have already figured out.”

They sat in the Headmaster’s spacious office room, located at the top of the tallest tower in the Academy. It was a lot of steps, but Kukui had his Braviary fly them up and onto the balcony connected to his office instead since Moon was still a bit shaken from earlier. Moon sat opposite the professor at his large oaken office desk, a blanket wrapped around her while her favorite hat and old school robes were hung to dry out on the balcony railing.

The far side of the room was bathed in blue light where a large aquarium sat with Luvdisc milling around in still waters. The rest of the room looked more like a gym than an office space with its various punching bags and other exercise equipment. A small dog bed sat next to the desk, occupied by a Rockruff dreaming peacefully. There was a single picture frame on the otherwise bare desktop, a woman with white hair and a knowing smile leaned into Kukui as Rockruff jumped at the camera. Moon smiled at the cute moment caught on camera before looking back at Kukui with a dry laugh.

“Are you going to tell me that this doesn’t happen often? Because you’re right, I did guess that. The Academy’s welcome pamphlet doesn’t exactly talk about almost getting struck by lightning as a first day activity.” She rolled her eyes and drew the warm blanket tighter around her body, a nervous half-smile on her face.

“You were chosen by _three_ guardians Moon. These Pokémon have protected us and the surrounding islands for a very long time. This is an honor not to be taken lightly.” Kukui’s face was as solemn as Moon had ever seen it, and his hands were folded neatly on the desk in front of him.

“However,…”

“You have no idea what it means.” Moon deadpanned.

“…No.” The professor looked away and slowly stood up. “This doesn’t just not happen _often_ , it has _never_ happened. So, although I could speculate that you have a personality, battle style or even Pokémon team that somehow appealed to almost all of the Tapus’, it would be just that. Speculation. Understand?”

Moon looked up at Kukui and pulled the blanket around herself a little tighter. Nervousness at her impending first class bubbled up in her chest and she erupted with questions. “So, what does this mean for me? Do I still get put in only one house? Will a lot of people ask me questions and how do I answer them? Actually, do I even need to tell anyone about what happened? Will I be fined for the broken bridge? Do I have to-“

“MOON.” Kukui held up his hand, palm square in front of her face. She leaned to the left and looked up at him with a cheeky smile.

“Yes?”

He gently chuckled and pulled his hand away now that Moon had successfully been stopped. “This doesn’t affect you significantly as of right now. We will place you in House Koko since Tapu Koko gave you the shiny stone as proof of your Sorting. People aren’t likely to ask you questions unless you tell them what happened since you and I are the only ones privy to what really happened in that forest. You can tell the whole truth, or you can simply tell students you were chosen by Tapu Koko, that decision is up to you. And no, we will not fine you for the bridge. But I appreciate the concern.” The professor gave another soft laugh and smiled warmly at her. Moon sighed and fully relaxed into her chair. All his answers (especially about the bridge) took an enormous weight off her shoulders.

She slowly stood up to meet Kukui, her curiosity piqued. “So, what is House Koko like? And can I have my new uniform now?” She said with a touch of disdain as she looked back at her ruined soggy robes hanging on the railing. “Please don’t make me put my old one back on. I don’t think velvet takes well to the splash zone.”

“Headmaster! I’m here and ready to guide like you asked!”

The door quickly pulled open and Moon looked over with wide eyes before forcing her face into an expressionless mask. A boy who looked around the same age as her walked in with a smile so big it forced his eyes closed. He had orange clips in his hair and a short ponytail, his shorts a matching light orange with a flower pattern. He walked right up to the desk and put his hands up behind his head in a relaxed pose, and Moon wonders if he spends enough time with Kukui to be this comfortable in the Headmaster’s office.

“Ah, Hau! You’re right on time, as I expected from a student like you! I want you to meet Moon, our newest student. So new, in fact, she was sorted just this morning into House Koko!” Kukui gave a grand sweep of his arm in her direction and Moon, despite her blank face, was taking in every detail.

“Nice to meet you Moon! I’m Hau, looks like we’re in the same House, huh! I’m gunna show you the ropes the next couple of days, so just count on me.” He finished his statement with a proud grin and a thumb jabbed at his chest. He was kind of sunshine-y, which simultaneously drew Moon in and put her off. She wasn’t one to judge on first impressions and was curious if Hau was like this 24/7 or if it was an act for Kukui’s sake. However, there was one small coincidence Moon couldn’t ignore.

“Thank you Hau, I appreciate it.” She nodded her head and lifted the corners of her mouth in what she deemed friendly enough for an acquaintance and turned back towards Kukui. “But, Professor, did you… _know_ that I would be sorted into this House?” They had been together since her Sorting, and Kukui had never once summoned a student or spoken to anyone but her, yet Hau was conveniently already in the same House.

“Well… I did tell you I had some predictions of my own, yeah? Based on your personality, I had two guesses in mind, so from there it was a fifty percent chance I would guess right. Looks like I know the guardians pretty well.” He had a hand reached up to scratch under his chin in a mock “thoughtful” look but couldn’t completely hide the mischievous glint in his eye.

Moon, not wanting to acknowledge that Kukui was right, faced Hau with a curious look. “So, will we be going to the dorms first? I probably need to unpack and get ready for our first class. Oh, and I don’t have my uniform yet. Where do we pick those up?”

“Yeah yeah! I like your enthusiasm Moon! I’ll show you how we live in House Koko, the best house!” Hau started jumping and pumped his fist into the air in a show of excitement. _Huh, he’s really fired up._

“And did Headmaster Kukui not tell you yet? We don’t have uniforms. We each get a patches or pins with the House insignia on it, and you can use them however you’d like so long as it’s displayed openly so that teachers and other students can easily tell what House you belong to. It lets us express ourselves but also brings the Houses together as teams.”

Kukui gave Hau a firm pat on the back. “Well-said kid! I couldn’t have explained it any better myself. You’ll be a fine mentor.” Moon looked down at a patch on Hau’s shorts where a left-pocket would be, if he had any. She hadn’t paid much attention to it before, but a closer look showed it was a downwards pointing yellow-orange triangle with a centered black lightning bolt. Though the patch itself was surprisingly small, probably smaller than Moon’s palm if she had to guess.

“Well you two had better head off before you’re late to first period, yeah? But I have one last thing to discuss with Moon if you don’t mind to wait outside, Hau.”

“Sure thing, I’ll be waiting!”

The door closed with a gentle thud and Moon slowly looked up to the professor with a tiny pit in her stomach. “So…”

“Moon?” The imploring look on Kukui’s face and the way he dragged out the o’s in her name implied that they both knew what he was about to say.

Moon crossed her arms in frustration. “But Professor!”

“Moon I know you were used to being alone in Kanto, but I assure you the students here are different.”

“I can take care of myself Professor. And my Pokémon will always have my back.”

“I know your Pokémon have always protected you and your mother and I are grateful for that. But you need _human_ friends too. Hau is a shining student here, and also has a knack for getting along with anyone he meets. Stick by his side, but most importantly, _let him in._ ”

She exhaled forcefully and looked off to the side, partially in anger and partially in embarrassment knowing Kukui was right. But memories flashed through her mind of previous years where she struggled to find a place in any cliques and was laughed at for even trying. She tried to make herself likeable and it never worked. She’d resolved to always be herself, no matter the cost. Even if the cost was a seat at a lunch table.

…But she _was_ a little lonely.

“I won’t make any promises.”

Kukui’s grin grew gradually until it lit up his entire face. “This is going to be your year Moon. I can feel it; you have three guardians watching over your future.”

Moon rolled her eyes and pushed a hand on the door in front of her, “Yeah ok Professor.” She turned and made eye contact for just a moment.

“Thank you.”

Kukui nodded and Moon joined Hau outside.

* * *

 

The early morning sun shined on the Academy and cast rainbow shadows through all the glass windows. Beautiful reds and oranges cascaded over the central courtyard where Gladion and Type: Null had stopped to rest (and people watch) before the first class of the day. Gladion stood against a tall white pillar with Null happily napping on the grass in front of them. Currently, a water or fairy type user, he couldn’t know for sure, was using bubbles to carry their belongings to presumably the House Fini dorms and Gladion was fascinated. Some of those items looked pretty heavy, and bubbles aren’t exactly known for their durability-

“WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?”

He jumped and looked for whomever had managed to catch him in his moment of distraction, only to come face to face with Groudon levels of rage packed into a tiny Lillipup body, a.k.a his younger sister.

“Lillie, what are you yelling about?” He scowled, this was not how this morning was supposed to go.

“I have been calling you all morning and _don’t_ think I don’t know about the secret patrols you’ve been running when you _know_ you aren’t supposed to be hunting these things alone. I can only cover for you to Mother so many times before she starts to get suspicious of both of us!”

“It’s none of your business what I do in my free time,” Gladion growled out, “and Null and I can take care of ourselves. And I wasn’t patrolling, we were just… checking out the grounds.” _Yeah, that’s true enough._

“ _Ugh._ Fine. You weren’t patrolling. So I take it you don’t know about the weird storm that happened near the Academy this morning?”

“You know about that?”

Lillie looked at her brother expectantly, though they both knew he had just given himself away. He waved his hand through the air in front of him as if he could wave away her “I’m right” face and any subsequent questions. “Was anyone able to confirm what it was?”

“It was someone’s Sorting, which you would know if you _didn’t ignore my messages._ ” Pouting and arms folded, she turned away from him towards the courtyard, throwing a dignified Lillie-version of a tantrum. The path across from the siblings, where her eyes were now aimed at, had her making eye contact with two students. Her face softened and arms unfolded at seeing Hau, but then she looked at the brunette with shoulder-length hair walking beside him. _Wait, I’ve never seen her before…_

Gladion rolled his eyes, “Ok I get it Lils, I’ll keep my phone on me next time. Thanks for covering for me, but I don’t need it. I have to go get ready for first period, but I’ll see you in class ok?”

Lillie slowly turned back around, thoughts still on the strange girl. “Huh? Oh, right. I’ll see you in class.” She reached out and pulled him into a quick hug, which Gladion returned with no hesitation. He felt marginally guilty; making Lillie worry wasn’t his intention, but that same instinct to protect her and her friends was the reason he and Null took the Academy’s safety upon themselves. He and his team would keep everyone safe.

No matter the cost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Their sibling dynamic is so cute and just ugh. Moon has had a rough go of it go easy on her plz. i'm really excited to introduce everyone's teams next and get into some student interaction!!


End file.
